Kathy Newsletter October 18, 2019
Last month, I was privileged to spend time with some of our high school youth at their lock-in. Rev. Eileen joined us for a taco bar, and led a discussion on how we can include the youth more in the life of the congregation. At first, the room was pretty quiet, but once they got started, they had some wonderful ideas to share! A few of the outcomes from this conversation were:
- They want to be included in worship – this means that they will be in the worship service for the first 15-20 minutes like the younger kids, and that they will be more involved in elements of the worship service such as lighting the chalice, telling a story or doing a reading, greeting families, etc.
- Connected to this, they want to take ownership of the Young UU section in the sanctuary. This is an area in the front and left side of the sanctuary where the “lily pads” are. They are planning to make a sign to make it a bit more visible. They will also keep an eye on younger kids during worship, for those parents who would like a little reprieve.
- Several of the youth had fond memories of chalice circles/children’s chapel in room 3, and so they have agreed to work with me in bringing that back a bit later this year.
The youth are busy making final plans for the hosting of their youth conference, CON Artist, November 1-3. This weekend is the last weekend to register, so please do so! Forms can be found here.
The Adult Program Team and I are firming up the schedule going into winter and spring, so be sure to keep an eye out for more information soon. In the meantime, we have two ongoing programs, and a new program beginning in November:
- Planning for What Matters Most (end of life issues) continues on October 9, 23, and 30 from 7-9p in room 3. This series, led by Cathy Deamant, Carol Nielsen, and Bob Mesle, has been designed to encourage participants to take proactive steps for life planning.
- The Witnessing Whiteness program continues as well on October 23, and 30 from 7-9p in room 3. This program is sponsored by the Racial Equity Action Leadership (REAL) Team, and will be facilitated by Dr. Gina Logan and Beth McDonald.
- Transgender Inclusion in Congregations: Nov 5, 12, 19, 26; Dec 3, 10 at 7p in room 3. This is a 6-part series created by the Transforming Hearts Collective and offered by Rev. Eileen and Christine Peters. This course is for anyone who wants to take their knowledge and skills to the next level in terms of gender diversity and trans identity and learn how to create congregations that are fully inclusive and actively affirming.
If you’re looking for a small way to help in the program, we need a few more folks to be substitutes for when someone can’t be here on a Sunday morning. And if you have a creative streak that needs expressing, I can always use that for little projects! Email me at kunderwood@ucevanston.org if you are interested.
In Faith,
Kathy